Rack for battery plates



March 15 1927.

S. A. LEHMAN RACK FOR ABATTERY PLATES Filed June 26. 1925 I 1 lll Il .Il

m R md liN n o m Y o Z o .s /[H BY LW..

ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar.Y 151, 1927.

i iiNiTED stares soLoMoN A; LEHMAN, or FORT WAYNE, INDIANA.A

RACK ron BATTERY rtn'rns.

' Y Application 'filed'.nme 26, i925. serial No.'39,65e.

The inventionrela-tesr to devices vi'or' supporting battery 'plates 1n= acid n containers during theiprocess oi n'ianuiacture.

Y In: the 'manufacturer of secondary rbattery plates* it is essential to rsupport the pasted grids in spaced relation in an acid bath during the charging operation. The support mustbe formed ot a material that will not only insulate the grids but which will not be aii'ect-ed by the acids. vA commonly used material is vulcanized rubber, but there is one disadvantage connected with the use of .such material in that dueto the heatgeneratedby lthe" electrical'current the. supports bulge1andthe grids drop out. i .The object of the invention is, to provide a support in which battery plates may be treated while'they are held in insulated spaced irelation7 the bulging orthe insulating (material being" javoided. 1

Another object is to provide a portable support having the above described advantages by' which a maximum numberot plates my bey inserted into and removed troni an acid bath,the'acid being' lett in its container for rinse upon the plates disposed in another of the supports or in the same support, thus making a large saving in time.

rEhe invention consists in aholow rack formed preferably of wood the sides being lined on their inner 4sides with vertically slotted insulating members having inwardly projecting flanges at the bottom oi the slots for positively supporting the battery plates;v

the end members being adapted to Contact with the bottom cf the acid container for spacingrthe sides ofv the support above v'said bottom 'and alsoY forming means by which to carry the device. Y

An embodiment of the invention is illus-v trated in the accompanying drawings .in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view of one exemplifica- Ation of the support; Fig. 2 an end view of V the same; Fig. 3 a cross-section on line 3 3 'gethen projectV below 'the sides so as to space the near theirupper ends to `facilitate the-handling oi the rack. The side and endmembers are'secured to'getherby thelead vrods 6 ,PATENT om@ that are inserted through alined apertures in the sides and therends, the upper rods also being passedl throughthe liners 7 that are dis- Yposed on the inner .faces of the side members respectively; The endso't' therods 6 are split andthe bifurcations are spread laterally into tight Contact with the side'members, thereby'lirmly securing the fit'rame members to- The lower ends of the end members side membersabove the'bottomof the tank or receptacle uponr which the end members rest.

As shown in F igs. 2 and 3 the lower portion of each side'member is thickened to provide i a shoulder upon `which the liner 7 rests. AgrooveS vis formedl in thetop wall of this shoulder'-whichpreferab'ly extends from end toend of the side member and into which a depending flange or tongue 9 that is formed on the lower side of the liner is ada-pted'to engage.

Each liner 7 ,is formed of insulating material preferably hard rubber. Vertical slots 10v are formed in the side ofthe liner facing the interior of the frame andv at the base of the slots is a Bange 11 which projects from the liner. The plates to be treated are in- Jserted in the alined slots inthe two liners the opposite ends of their lower edges resting onthe bases of the slots and upon the flanges,' one such plate 12 being vshown in Fier. 2. Y j

pertures 13 are `i'ormed at suitable inter` vals in the side members adjacent to the upper edge thereof andsockets 14C are formed in the liner in axial alinementwith the apertures. Molten lead solidified'as shown at 15 locks the liner to the side member. The 1iners are similar in all respects and they are V similarlymounted on the side members.

In use the pasted grids are inserted in the alined slots 10 in the liners and the usual busbars are attached to-the grids in the usual manner; the rack is then deposited in the receptacle containing the acid and the i electrical current is turned on. When the charging operation has been completed the rack with the plates therein is liftedfrom the acid bath and another rack loaded with grids may then be inserted in the bath, thus saving much time. in the operations.

The racks are'economically built and they are of long life. rlhey positively support the platesat al-l times and all ybulging of the sides -isavoided.

lVhat I claim is:

l. A portable battery-plate rack compris- Y ingl a` hollow rameih'aving an open top and vertical face, and a flange projecting laterally from said face ofeach member and'adapted. to'fbe engaged by the lower edge' of the vbattery .plates disposed in the slots.

2lv A battery-plate rack comprising a hollow frame ltermed of separate side and end walls .releasably secured together, the end walls extending below the'plalne of the lower edge ofthe side walls,.insulating members on the-inner aceof the-opposite side walls of `the frame respectively, each said member lhaving a plurality of vertical slots in its Aexposed vertical face, a flange at the lower Aends .oit :the slots projecting laterally from said face of the insulating member adapted Y to be engaged by the lower edges of the pla'tes' that' are disposed in the slots, and means lto lock thel insulating members to the said side walls of the frame and comprising a. plurality of fusible members extending through the side walls and engaged to the insulating members.

3. A battery-plate rack comprising a wooden frame having two end members and two side members, the lower ends of the end members projecting below the side mem bers, a shoulder yformed on the inner side of each side member and extending from endl to end thereof, each said shoulder having a ylongitudinal groove therein, anl insulating member on each` sldemember having Va dethe upper portion of said insulatingmembers to the side members, and means eX- tended through the end members, the insulating members and the side members to; se-

cure the same together.

In witness whereoie I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of June, v1925.

SOLOMON A; LEI-IMAN. 

